Pep Talks Only Work For So Long

Do you find your role as a leader sometimes exhausting?

It may be because you are managing, not leading, which is a huge distinction. It’s a slippery slope to be an individual whom provides leadership and direction and one who takes on motivating other people and enrolling them into a greater life - day in and day out. It’s the key difference between managing versus leading.

You might be in a management role, which means you have specific job duties and results to achieve. However, you don’t ever want to find yourself “managing” employees if you are working for an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are in the business of change that is an absolute. Until you can truly understand and embrace that, you will find yourself feeling like you are “on the hamster wheel” every day trying to manage people and goals that are ever-changing.

People need to manage themselves. You can hold them accountable to the results they are supposed to achieve, but the team needs to come with “batteries included.” It is one thing to train a team member, help them solve a problem, or give them advice. It’s totally separate and not advisable to convince them they want to be on your team. Trying to motivate, encourage learning and find ways to grow while trying to make a moody or negative team member happy and see the positive will simply waste your time and emotional energy.

Running around managing and motivating your team allows you to become their emotional crutch. They will lean on you for inspiration, and when you can’t provide it, they will quit and leave. And when they leave, they leave you with a team of others who you may have neglected and who now see they get more attention and allowance with negative and non-productive energy.

It’s your job to provide leadership (what direction should they be working towards, a common goal and a vision they can buy into) but the team needs to bring their “batteries” to the table. This means coming with solutions to problems, not just complaints, and taking a stand for what the company is about and trying to achieve – for themselves, for their team and for your clients.

If you are ready to stop giving pep talks and start creating an empowered team who comes to work every day ready to solve problems and achieve goals, join us for the LWP Practice Enhancement Retreat. Day 2 has a full team track training day on Performance Driven Solutions - How to Have Control in Your Role, Versus Letting it Control You. Register Today!

Comments

[Matthew Donald]

I have never responded to one any of the blogs before but this one caught my attention and I felt the need to respond to it so for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts. - Leaders do provide motivation.

I am certainly not the foremost expert on leadership, but I believe that having served 23 years in the Army in various leadership positions which included leading 3 people as a sergeant, 182 people as a company commander, and teaching leadership at The Ohio State University, gives me some valuable insight on the subject.

In my opinion, the premier intuition for training leadership in our country remains to be, the US Army. For 238 years the members of our Army have been successfully training men and women in the art of leadership. “The Army defines leadership as as influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization” (AR 600-100, para 1-4(a), March 2007).

At first blush many will say “Well that is military leadership and warfare, etc.” Such a presumption would be wrong. Nowhere in that definition does the Army mention military leadership, it talks only about leadership. The same concept of influencing others by providing purpose, direction, and motivation applies equally to the battlefield, the boardroom, and the office in general.

I have had the honor of leading men and women in combat as a company commander where I commanded 182 people in some of the most austere and hostile conditions imaginable. The principle of influencing those people by providing purpose, direction and motivation was the same principle I used when leading a group of three people when I was a team leader in peace time.

Regardless of the situation, I provided purpose by explaining to my organization why it was important that we did what we were doing. When fighting against terrorism, the “why” and “purpose” was pretty easy. Explaining “why” we must provide unequaled service to our clients can be a bit more challenging but no less important and here’s a hint, it’s not about profit.

Many times we had young soldiers and leaders who weren't sure of the “how” when it came to taking the fight to the enemy. We provided that direction through instruction but more importantly through example. In our office I teach the staff how to provide that unequaled service through our systems and products, but more importantly I show them by example in how I personally interact with our clients.

The final part is where I take the most exception to the main article and that is motivation. Before I took over my second company command, this time at Fort Bragg with the 108th Airborne Air Assault MP Company, I was told by a Colonel that “leaders don’t have bad days”. At the time I blew it off and never gave it much thought. But one day I was in a particularly bad mood and had a chip on my shoulder. As I went about my day I notice that my usually upbeat and highly motivated company seemed to be having a really bad day too. It was at that moment that the Colonel’s words came back to haunt me, “leaders don’t have bad days”. My company was having bad day because I was having a bad day. The next day my mood wasn't much better than the day before, but, and this is a big but, I came to work and told myself that I was going to be motivated, upbeat and positive in every way I could and that I was going to leave the negative and bad attitude in the truck when I parked. And guess what, it worked. We had a great workout that morning and a fantastic day. The rest of the week fell in line as well.

That day was an epiphany for me. That day I realized that as a leader I was not only responsible for motivating people through words and counseling and encouragement but more importantly through my actions. Sure, I still had (and have) days where I am grumpy or tired or upset by something but I do my absolute best not to let it reflect in my actions or attitude.

During my career I was very blessed to be surrounded by tremendous leaders, soldiers and peers. No one had it as lucky as I did. But in the end, we played the hand we were dealt. For the most part, you don’t get to pick the soldiers you lead. As such, you have some solders that just don’t want to be there any more for whatever reason. Try as you might they just won’t change their attitude or ways. In the Army we had to dismiss those soldiers. It wasn't always an easy process, but in the end that soldier who “didn't come with batteries” had to be dismissed.

Eliminating a worker in the office that refuses to be motivated, follow direction, and doesn't believe in the purpose is much easier to dismiss, but more importantly, that’s probably someone you shouldn't have hired in the first place.

The final thing I would say is that one of the keys for any successful leader is to assume ownership of your organization. The leader is responsible for everything and anything that happens, good or bad. Whether it is a team leader of 3 soldiers, a commander of 182, an attorney of a private practice of 3 people, or a production leader of a law firm, the leader must own it and own it like a Momma lion owns her cub. Protect it, nourish it, train it, but most importantly, provide examples for it to follow. That’s leadership 101 in my book.
MAJ (R) Matthew W. Donald, Esq.

[admin]

Thank you for your service Matt! And your insight here is very much appreciated. Just sharing your story portrays such great insight.